Interview with Gaz [Chemikill]

Hailing from Birmingham, the birthplace of metal, Chemikill have forged themselves a a long-lasting career upon the anvil of British underground metal scene. Confirmed to support Delain at The Dames of Darkness Festival in May, Nico interrogates the band’s bassist Gaz.

Nico: Chemikill have been on the scene for over 20 years, what’s been the highlight of the band’s existence so far?

Gaz: Well, I suppose it’s just staying power. Twenty seven years this year and we’ve had a fair few highlights, [such as] winning the Tamworth Battle of the Bands in 1995 and also supporting all American girl thrash band Wench. We’ve played along some great bands last year like Beholder, Blaze Bayley, Apperition, Dakesis, Tytan and more. We’re just glad to be doing what we do.

Nico: You’ve been confirmed to play the Dames of Darkness Festival next, where you’ll be supporting Delain. How are you feeling about that?

Gaz: Really happy and stoked to the hilt! I can’t wait for it! I saw Delain a few years back at Leamington Spa and hadn’t seen ‘em before and only was going for the support band Serenity but god when Delain came on my jaw hit the floor and been a fan ever since – They’re a great live band!

Nico: Are there any other bands you’re looking forward to playing with at the Dames of Darkness?

Gaz: Yeah! Everyone to be honest. It will be great catching up with Apparition whom we thank for getting us on the bill, Whyzdom too but all the bands to be honest. I just love live music.

Nico: In your own opinion, how does Chemikill differ from t’other “female-fronted” bands on the scene?

Gaz: I think we have our own little genre going on. It’s like old school eighties metal with a twist of today’s metal scene, so it covers Sabbath, Priest, Metallica, Slayer, Slipknot and Pantera. I suppose we really can’t say who and where we belong but it’s metal and that’s all that counts. Natalie brings a voice that can be singing like a song bird one minute and the next growling like Angela from Arch Enemy, so we can cover two different bases in one song if we wish and to see peoples’ faces when she does it is so funny as they don’t expect it at all.

Nico: What’s the meaning behind the band’s name, Chemikill?

Gaz: There isn’t a meaning really. We just decided it was going to have the word kill in the name, so in the end it was a toss up between Nu-Killer or Chemikill. This is way before Exodus did their track by the same name too. So Chemikill came out the hat first but I suppose it could stand for being honest pure driven British heavy metal!

Nico: Excluding yourselves, which band from the UK would you say are the best on the current British metal scene?

Gaz: Well, I wouldn’t call us one of the best. We just do what we do and if people like it, fair enough. We’re glad if you’ve had a good time at a Chemikill show then we hope you come back again and bring some friends but bands at the moment who are doing well are Beholder, Hostile and Absolva, but there’s so many good bands out there at the moment, it’s getting round to see ‘em all but with all this NWOBHM thing kicking off again looks like we could be in the 2nd wave of it, if it picks up, so let’s all get ready for the ride.

Nico: If you could replace the soundtrack to any film with your own music, which one would it be and why?

Gaz: I always look on our tracks as film music anyway. Each one tells a story which could easily be a film, but we have our track Psycho, which speaks for itself really with the film, and our new mini epic Wych, the original old way of spelling witch, which (no pun intended) could fit into any hammer horror type film on witches or something. It would just be an honour to get the offer of adding one of our songs I suppose to a film track but if i had to pick just one then it would be Demons, all about the wolf man because it explains the torment of the curse, the hunger and the lost soul which as the chorus goes: What was will be, what is will be no more – So, it covers the changing of the human part to animal and back again, so yeah.

Nico: Is there anything you’d like to say to our readers before we finish?

Gaz: We all hope to see you all soon at The Dames of Darkness Festival. Cheers all and we wish you the best, Gaz and the rest of the Chemikill crew.